Railroad-tie.



PATENTED SEPT. 26, 1905.

P. G. VAN TONGERBN.

RAILROAD TIE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24. 1905.

PI G.l.

PI G. 3.

W attoamn d Wane/Jam UNITED ST PAT ENT OFFICE.

PETER G. VAN TONGEREN, OF ST. ANNE, lLLINOlS, ASSIUNOR OF ONE- HALF TOCORNELIUS J. W ESTERH OFF, OF UlllCAGt), ILLINOIS.

RAILROAD-TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

Application filed February 24, 1905. Serial No. 247,167.

To all whom it nuty concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER G. VAN TON- GEREN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at St. Anne, in the county of Kankakee and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Ties,'0f which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway-ties, and has for its object to providea tie which is practically indestructible through usage or climaticconditions.

A further object of my invention is to provide a railway-tie havingindependent concrete blocks disposed to carry opposite rails andconnected by a flexible plate disposed in a horizontal plane.

A further object of my invention is to pro vide a railway-tie havingconcrete blocks disposed to carry opposite rails and each block providedwith improved strengthening means.

It has been found that ties constructed from non-elastic material, suchas concrete, do not offer a sufficiently elastic tread, and it is anobject of my invention to provide a concrete tie having an elastic bodydisposed between the tie and the rail.

A further object of my invention is to provide a tie comprising aconcrete block at each end disposed to carry opposite rails andconnected by a plate of flexible material and an improved means carriedby the plate to secure the rails thereupon.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be here inafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view of my mproved railway-tie, one endshown in side ation, the other end in vertical section.

7 is a top plan view of my improved railie. Fig. 3 is a transversesectional of my improved railway-tie, taken on s 3 3 of Figs. 1 and 2.

Like characters of reference designate co rsponding parts throughout theseveral iews.

In its preferred embodiment my improved railway-tie comprises twoconcrete blocks 1, disposed. each beneath and perpendicular to a rail2-. The concrete blocks 1. are formed with a centrally-disposeddownwardly-extending angle 3 intermediate the ends and are strengthenedby a rigid beam 4 of any approved form embedded therein and extendinglongitudinally thereof, but stoppin short of the ends thereof. Beneaththe block 1 and extending longitudinally thereof is dis posed astrengthening-strip 5, proportioned to conform to the angular formationof the block 1 and secured thereon by any approved means, as the bolt 6,extending through the plate 5 and the block 1.

Upon the top of the block 1 is disposed a plate 7, of any approvedelastic material, preferably a block of wood, with the bolts 6 extendingthrough the said block 7. A plate of material 8, preferably of sheetmetal, is secured at its opposite ends to and connects the blocks 1,with the bolt 6 continued u nvardly through the plate 8. The plate 8 isprovided with openings conveniently disposed to receive bolts S), whichare passed theretluough from the under side and extend upwardly. Uponthe bolts 9 are disposed clips 10 and nuts 1] to clamp the rail 2 firmlybeneath the clips 1.0 and upon the plate 8, which serves as abearing-surface for the rail. Nuts 12 are disposed upon bolts 6 andserve to clamp firmly together the block 1, strip 5, elastic material 7,and plate 8. As a further protection against a lateral displacement ofthe rail 2 braces 13 may be disposed upon the bolts 6 between the nuts12 and the plate 8, with their ends bearing against the web of the railand beneath the tread. To prevent the dis placement of the elasticmaterial 7, nails or bolts, as H, may be d rivcn throughproperlydisposed openings in the plate 8 and into the block 7.

The o ')eration of my improved railway-tie is as follows: The two blocks1 are embedded in the road-bed and the rail 2 laid thereon in the usualmanner and secured thereto by the clips 10 and the braces 13. From theconstruction it will be readily seen that either block may moveindepemlently of the other in a vertical plane, but the plate 8 willresista movement in a horizontal plane.

It is well known that concrete ties extending the entire length fromrail to rail are subeet to a severe breaking strain by the passagethereover of heavy trains. It will also be seen that by reason of theconstruction of my improved tie the strain which usually acts tofracture a concrete tie is exerted upon a flexible metal plate. It willfurther be seen that a tie constructed in accordance with my inventionpresents double the resistance to a lateral strain exerted upon therails by reason of presenting two ends instead of one to resist an endthrust. It will further be noted that from the construction of myimproved tie the metal connectingplate may be disposed entirely abovethe surface of the roadbed, and thus submitted in a minimum degree tocorrosion. Particular stress is laid upon the fact that in my improvedtie the body which comes in contact with the roadbed is non-corrosiveand that the member which receives the Wear of the rail is of metal withan elastic block of wood or other approved material disposed between thetwo nonelastic members for the purpose of cushioning the tread.

IVhile I have shown in detail the preferred form of my tie with thepreferred form of railfastener for use in connection therewith, it isobvious that the form and proportion of the concrete blocks may bechanged and that any other desired or approved form of rail-fasteningmay be used in connection therewith.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as novel, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, isa 1. In a railway-tie, two concrete blocksdisposed to carry opposite rails, the said blocks havingstrengthening-strips along their under surfaces, a flexible platedisposed in a horizontal plane upon the upper surfaces and connectingthe two blocks and bolts passing through the strengthening-strips andthe plate and rigidly clamping the blocks therebetween.

2. In a railway-tie, two concrete blocks disposed to carry oppositerails, strengthening strips along their under surfaces, a flexible platedisposed in a horizontal plane upon the upper surfaces of and connectingthe two blocks bolts passing through the strengthening-strips and theplate and rigidly clamping the blocks therebetween and a rigid coreembedded within each of the blocks and extending substantially parallelwith the connecting-plate.

3. In a railway-tie, two concrete blocks disposed to carry oppositerails and having strengthening-strips along their under surfaces, asheet of elastic material disposed upon each of the upper surfaces ofthe blocks, a flexible connecting member secured. at its opposite endsupon the elastic material and bolts passing through the strengtheningstrips and connecting member and firmly clamping the block and theelastic material.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PETER G. VAN TONGEREN.

Witnesses:

F. K. FoT'rER, W. G. BROOKS.

